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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. season — of the year
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mark — a grade
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. game — a match
  20. kick — in football
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. stem — to come from
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com